How to Taste Ice Cream

TEMPERING
While many folks like to dish out ice cream immediately after getting it from the fridge, it actually is best to take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. This is called "tempering," a step that helps maximize flavor release and enhance the overall taste.

VISUAL APPEAL
Take a good look at the product - at it's color and texture. Does it appear appetizing? Part of tasting any food is the impression it makes on all of our senses -- not just the sense of taste.

SPOONING
Using a spoon, scrape a small sample off the surface. Now unlike the way we usually eat, invert the spoon so that the ice cream comes into contact with your tongue instead of the roof of your mouth. While this may seem like an "upside down" way to go about things, years of practice prove it to be the most effective way of delivering flavor to the 9,000 tastebuds in your mouth.

MOUTH FEEL
Coat your tongue with the ice cream. Roll it around and smack your lips. Let the complexities of the flavor build and spread so you can get a full sense of its taste. But don't yield to temptation and swallow the sample yet, or you'll have to start over again because the tasting process is not complete.

AROMA
Now close your mouth. Bring the ice cream's aroma up through the nose to sense the top notes and savor in the flavor's scent. Remember, all of the senses contribute to a food's taste, including your sense of smell!

FINISH
After you have extracted a definate impression of the product's taste, you can let it slide away down the throat and feel the taste sensation dissipate.